New York City is bursting with must-try restaurants that it’s typically overwhelming to choose where to eat next. From 22 July through 16 August, restaurants throughout the city will be participating in New York Restaurant Week offering set-price brunch, lunch and dinner menus starting at $26 per person.
Whether you’re craving authentic Italian pasta or traditional Greek cuisine, there’s no doubt you will find a one-of-a-kind culinary experience with one of the Restaurant Week eateries. We’ve rounded up the top five restaurants to check out this year.
ACME
Acme in NoHo offers a dinner special for $42 Monday through Fridays. The restaurant underwent a culinary transformation last year led by new executive chef and partner Brian Loiacono. The contemporary bistro combines the chef’s classic French and Italian-American upbringing to create a seasonal neighbourhood restaurant that showcases a variety of flavours and techniques, yet is quintessentially New York. Diners can choose one dish each for an appetizer, a main course and dessert.
BAR PRIMI
Bar Primi is a popular and cosy eatery in Bowery, perfect both for a date night or family-style celebration. The Restaurant Week lunch menu is $26 and the dinner menu is $42 with dishes such as antipasti salads, appetizers, and dessert. This Italian “pasta shop” on the border of NoHo and the East Village also has an affordable selection of Italian country wines along with craft beer on tap, aperitivi and signature cocktails.
Photo credit: Bar Primi
BLUEBIRD LONDON
Bluebird London is a British-inspired eatery from London that recently launched in The Shops at Columbus Circle. The restaurant specialises in reimagined British cuisine, with plenty of New American options. The Gallery menu, available all day, celebrates classics such as fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding. The special Restaurant Week menu items include a starter, main and dessert for $42.
Photo credit: Bluebird London
GAONNURI
With one of the most spectacular locations of any restaurant in New York City, Gaonnuri occupies a penthouse in Koreatown that boasts wraparound views of Midtown. It’s the perfect date night spot, with dinner at $42 for Restaurant Week. The three-course menu includes a starter, Korean bbq meat to choose from, and dessert. The décor is modern and slick and the staff is super friendly.
Photo credit: GAONNURI
KYMA
Available for brunch or lunch at $26, Kyma’s seafood and Greek cuisine is off the charts. You can choose a starter, a main course and dessert with a wide variety of options. The Flatiron-based restaurant has a modern ambience with the stylish island-chic vibes of Mykonos. It is one of Long Island’s most popular restaurants and recently opened up here in the city.
Photo credit: Kyma
NOBU DOWNTOWN
Nobu Downtown is located in the heart of New York's Financial District, and the Bar & Lounge is offering a special lunch menu for Restaurant Week. On Monday through Friday, the lunch includes two courses with some of the restaurant’s top sushi and seafood dishes. The design of the restaurant evokes the beauty of the Japanese countryside with its natural textures, birch trees, wood floors and a wall made of river stones.
